


wide awake when i'm with you

by ArgentLives



Series: Across Every Universe (You are Home) [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Coffee, F/M, First Meetings, meeting at a wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-07
Updated: 2015-06-07
Packaged: 2018-04-03 03:29:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4084999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArgentLives/pseuds/ArgentLives
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iris and Barry meet at a wedding that isn’t their own, but it’s only ever been a matter of time before it is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	wide awake when i'm with you

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt: “why do they never serve coffee at weddings?” au

Iris had a love-hate relationship with weddings. She loved the idea of them, she loved seeing two people so happy and so in love, and she loved all the celebration that ensued. She did not, however, like being _involved_ in weddings. Having to plan things, making sure everything was running smoothly, ensuring the people getting married had their perfect special day. A fact she’d only recently discovered through being appointed as the maid of honor in Linda and Wally’s wedding.

She had been more than happy to take up the mantle when Linda had first approached her about it—in fact she’d been thrilled, and ridiculously honored. Helping out two of her favorite people in the world; what could be better? Of course, that had been before all of…this. The preparation, the sleepless nights, the endless list of things she needed to get done and all the worry about everything that could go wrong. And yet, if Linda were to ask again, even now, even knowing how _tiring_ it all was, she would still say yes in a heartbeat. She just wished the whole process wasn’t quite so painful.

Rationally, she knew that she was taking on more than she had to, that she could’ve left most of it for the actual wedding planner to do—but she knew the bride and groom better than anyone, save for each other, and she wanted to personally make sure that everything would be perfect.

By the day the actual wedding rolled around, she was at her wits end. Completely burnt out, running on fumes, and ready to crash. She had been so worried about making the day perfect that she hadn’t even really been able to enjoy the bachelorette party she’d thrown for Linda the night before—and they’d had strippers and everything, a healthy mix of guys and girls, just like she knew Linda liked. Especially considering her current single status, it should have been wonderful. But it wasn’t. Instead she was worried about the iffy-looking forecast, and whether or not it was going to rain and ruin _everything_.

It hadn’t, thank God. But there was still a whole slew of other things she had to worry about, and she'd been going through the day ticking things off the list, all the way through the vows, and then the reception.

By the time she could finally sit down and relax, after she delivered her toast and as she watched people swaying happily on the dance floor, a sense of satisfaction wash over her knowing that she'd done well, she just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for about a month. Instead, she contented herself with folding her arms on the table before her and lying her head down on top of them, closing her eyes, trying to block out the music and fall asleep right there.

She was just on the brink of sleep when a voice pulled her away from it, and she lifted her head from her arms in annoyance.

"What?" she snapped, glaring blearily up at whomever it was that had disturbed her nap.

"I, uh, I asked if you wanted some water? I don't want you to get sick..."

She blinked the sleepiness out of her eyes. It took her a few seconds to realize that she was staring directly at someone’s chest. She mumbled something under her breath about tall people, and directed her gaze up a little further, until she found his face.

It was an incredibly cute one...and also vaguely familiar. She tilted her head and squinted at him, but still couldn’t place the face to a name, and after a few seconds of thoughtful consideration, decided it must’ve been her imagination playing tricks on her.

She let her eyes sweep up and down, taking in the uniform that suggested he was part of the banquet serving staff and the pitcher of water in his hand before responding.

“And why would I get sick?” she asked, the heat gone from behind her voice and replaced with honest curiosity.

He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand as he stammered out an apology.

“Oh, uh, I’m sorry. I thought you…well, you had your head down, and there’s all these empty glasses around you, and I was afraid that you might’ve…passed out…”

“Oh, no, you thought I was passed out on this table because I was drunk?" she laughed, shaking her head. She hadn't even had a sip of alcohol yet—she'd been too scared about messing up her speech.

She supposed she couldn't blame the guy. She probably posed a pretty strange sight, the only one sitting at her table, head down, completely out of it. And even though he was way off the mark, she couldn’t help but feel a little touched at how genuinely concerned he seemed.

“Nah, these aren’t mine,” she said, gesturing to all the empty wine glasses in front of the recently vacated seats around her, “I’m just tired. I was actually trying to sleep—something I haven’t done in a while.”

“Ah,” the guy nodded, looking apologetic. “Okay. Really sorry for waking you, then.”

He gave her a sweet smile before moving to walk away—only Iris had already decided that she didn’t want him to leave.

“Hey, wait, I never said I didn’t want any water,” she called after him, grinning at the startled expression on his face as he turned back around at the sound of her voice. She watched in amusement as he stumbled back over to her table, nearly tripping over his feet and spilling the pitcher of water all in her lap in the process.

He shot a few nervous glances at her as he filled up her cup, and she had to clear her throat loudly to make sure he didn’t keep pouring it past the brim.

Before he could walk away again, Iris snatched the picture of water out of his hand and set it down on the table. She patted the seat next to her expectantly, signaling him to sit down. He stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, gaze sweeping all around him, as though he couldn’t believe she was still referring to him. She raised an eyebrow at him expectantly as if to say _‘yes, you’_ , and he finally shrugged and plopped down next to her.

“You know, I’m supposed to be working. I could get in trouble for this,” he said, sounding nervous but slightly excited.

Iris waved her hand unconcernedly and flashed a reassuring smile at him.

“Relax, you won’t. Look, everyone’s dancing right now anyway. The rest of the servers are taking breaks too. And you’re keeping me company…” she trailed off, prompting him to give her his name.

“It’s, uh, it’s Barry. Um, Allen.”

“Well, nice to meet you Barry. I’m Iris West.”

“Nice to meet you too, Miss We—” he started, but fell silent as he watched Iris scrunch up her nose in distaste.

“Please, just call me Iris.”

He smiled hesitantly at her in response and wiped his palms on his pant leg before shaking her outstretched hand. The poor guy—he was obviously incredibly nervous. _She_ was making him nervous. She grinned to herself; the thought made her feel powerful. And not to mention confident.

Obviously, poor, adorable Barry wasn’t feeling the same. She watched him wringing his hands together, throwing anxious glances over his shoulder, and decided the least she could do was to try and put him at ease. She cleared her throat, and once she had his attention again, attempted to break the ice.

“So, Barry. You’re part of the catering staff. So you might have an answer for me here, because for the life of me I still don’t understand it: Why do they never serve coffee at weddings? I’ve always thought that they should.”

He nodded in agreement, relaxing a little at the casual small talk and the soothing tone of her voice.

“I don’t know, honestly. It is a good idea though—I could definitely go for some caffeine right now.”

And she believed it. Not for the first time since they’d been talking, she took in the very obvious bags beneath his eyes, the exhaustion in his voice and the tired slump of his shoulders. Before she could even ask, he was already explaining it for her.

“I’m working like, three jobs right now. Trying to pay my way through med school. It’s really…well, it’s really not fun.”

Iris shuddered at the thought, and grimaced sympathetically.

“Ugh, that does sound pretty awful,” she said, and when she looked at him again, something clicked.

_No way._

“Wait…Barry, what are some of these other jobs you’re working? Just out of curiosity.”

His blush all but confirmed her suspicions, and he carefully avoided her eyes when he responded, rubbing the back of his neck again in embarrassment.

“Oh, you know…whatever I can get, really. I’ll do anything if I’m getting paid.”

“Anything, huh? Like, for instance, helping provide some _excellent_ entertainment at bachelorette parties?”

Iris watched in amusement as Barry’s eyes widened in horror, as he went from pink to pale to beet-red in mortification.

He caught her grinning at him knowingly and groaned, propping his elbows up on the table and letting his head fall into his hands.

“That was a _one-time thing_ ,” he hissed under his breath, horrified. “I was filling in for a friend, I swear. Doing them a favor. And I’m desperate, okay? I told you I’d take whatever I could get. Oh my God, Iris, stop _laughing_ ,” he mumbled into his hands, refusing to lift his gaze from the table.

“Sorry, sorry,” Iris said, taking a few breaths to calm herself down and stifling another laugh. “I’m not trying to make fun of you, I promise. It’s just—I _knew_ you looked familiar.”

It was honestly hard to believe that the person sitting next to her was the same one she’d seen the night before. Sure, she vaguely remembered him standing uncomfortably in the corner at first, and being the last one to take his shirt off too, but once he got going…she may have been preoccupied with other things at the time, but damn, she had eyes. That wasn’t something you forgot.

And _wow_ , thinking back, there was definitely some muscle hiding behind that lanky exterior. She didn’t even realize she was spacing out until the sound of Barry clearing his throat pulled her away from the beautiful things her imagination had been coming up with using this knowledge.

“So,” he coughed uncomfortably, desperate to steer the conversation away from himself, “why are you so tired, then? Your reason can’t be any more embarrassing than mine.”

She laughed good naturedly and was pleased to see that he was finally smiling, too.

“Well, I’m the maid of honor. I don’t even want to talk about how stressful it’s been, especially over the past few days. I haven’t gotten a full night’s sleep in…God knows how long. I probably look like a mess,” she sighed, thinking about how despite all of the time she’d spent doing her makeup, she still hadn’t really been able to make herself look any less exhausted.

“Oh, please—you look amazing,” Barry stated matter-of-factly, rolling his eyes at her suggesting anything otherwise.

The compliment took her slightly off guard, and it took a moment for it to really register, but a slow smile spread across her face as it did. Unfortunately, Barry must have interpreted brief silence the wrong way, because before she could open her mouth to thank him he was already stumbling over another apology.        

“Um, I mean—Oh, God, that was probably weird, wasn’t it? I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

“Barry,” Iris said with a laugh, cutting him off before he could ramble any further. “It’s okay, I appreciate it, really. Thank you.”

He let out sigh of relief and gave her a shaky smile, the pink tinge fading from his ears.

After a few more minutes of small talk, their conversation began to flow easily, and soon enough they were chatting like—well, not like strangers, anyway. Iris had always been a social butterfly, and he was remarkably easy to get along with, and incredibly friendly once he started to get comfortable around her. They were so engaged in conversation that neither of them even noticed the time flying by, not until she felt a tap on her shoulder and saw Linda standing behind her, Wally at her side and with his arm around her waist.

“Iris, thank you so much for helping make this all happen. It’s been incredible, really. And come on, join us! Have some fun!” Linda said excitedly, gesturing towards the mass of people dancing, and then casting a meaningful glance towards Barry and then back to Iris, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. Wally nodded vaguely in agreement, but Iris had a feeling he hadn’t really been listening—he was too busy staring at Linda in awe, as if he still couldn’t believe that she was his  _wife_.

“It was my pleasure,” Iris said with a smile, and really, it was worth all the time and effort just seeing how happy the two of them were. Linda beamed at her before making her way back to the dance floor, and Iris stood up and made to follow them, turning back around to face Barry.

“Dance with me?” she asked, hoping for a yes.

“I really shouldn’t,” Barry said, eyes darting back and forth to the other servers who were starting to clear the tables around them. “I need to help clean up.”

“Oh, fine,” she pouted, knowing that he was probably right and not wanting to be the reason he got in trouble. “Some other time, then. I mean, I hope this isn’t be the last time I’ll be seeing you.”

“Sure,” he said with a smile, “if you want. I just hope I don’t step on your feet—I’m not exactly good at it.”

“I think I’ll live. And I’m holding you to that, by the way. I have your number now, so you can’t escape,” she winked at him.

He opened his mouth, prepared to say something else, and abruptly closed it. She could practically see wheels turning in his head as a look of excitement passed over his features.

“What?” she asked, curious at the sudden light in his eyes.

“Well, I was just thinking,” he said slowly, “if you’re still tired tomorrow, and you’re still looking for a good cup of coffee, I know a really nice place in the area if you want to go. With me, I mean. Go out with me…to get coffee. Yeah.”

She smiled fondly as he fumbled with his words, debating whether or not to give him a quick kiss on the cheek as a proper goodbye. In the end, she figured why not, and stood on her tippy-toes to reach him, her lipstick leaving a faint red mark on his skin. It was worth it for the silly smile it left on his face, as he brought his hand up to touch the spot where her lips had been with a dazed expression.

“I’d love to. Now get back to work before you get yelled at, and call me tomorrow,” she laughed, waving him off.

His responding nod was so enthusiastic, she was almost afraid he would hurt his neck. He gave her one last elated smile before hurrying over to help pick up empty glasses and plates from the tables, and she let herself drift toward her friends on the dance floor.

She could practically feel his gaze on her the rest of the night. She wondered if he felt hers, too.

 

 

_~three years later~_

“Barry, your face is going to freeze like that if you keep that up,” Iris laughed, pinching his cheeks.

“Would that be such a bad thing?” he asked, grinning at her. She didn’t think she’d seen him stop smiling once yet today, not even as tears had filled his eyes when she’d made her way down the aisle, not even when he’d been reciting his vows and focusing on not breaking down in hysterics, not even when he’d been kissing the bride. To be fair, she honestly hadn’t either.

“Nah, you’re right—I love your smile,” she said with a bright one of her own. They were sitting at their table, and all the speeches and toasts had just finished. “Also, don’t think I forgot that you owe me a dance.”

She didn’t leave him room to protest, just grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the dance floor, feeling happier than she had ever thought possible. Surprisingly, despite his normal aversion to dancing, he seemed more than happy to comply, to follow her wherever she guided him.

For the better half of the night, they barely sat down, and barely took their eyes off of each other—save for the traditional parent-and-child dances, and not long after they were back in each other’s arms again. Hours flew by that felt like seconds, and although she was still high on the general euphoria of the day, Iris couldn’t help the feeling of exhaustion creeping into her bones.

“Ugh, I feel like I’m going to collapse,” she mumbled, swaying slowly side to side in Barry’s arms, her head resting against his chest. “We’ve been dancing so long I can’t even feel my feet anymore. But I don’t even want to stop. I don’t want this day to end.”

Barry hummed in agreement.

“Sounds like you could use some caffeine,” he said, and she didn’t miss the smile in his voice. She lifted her head from his chest to look up at him, curious.

“I mean, yeah, I’d love some, but where are we gonna get any?”

“Well, you asked me once why they never served coffee at weddings. Turns out all you really need to do is ask. So, yeah, surprise— _our_ wedding has all the coffee you need.”

“Oh my God, Barry,” Iris laughed, putting a hand on the back of his neck and pulling him down for a quick kiss, and then resting her forehead against his. “I can’t believe you actually remembered that.”

“Well, evidently, you did too,” he mused, bringing a hand up to cradle her face. “And honestly how couldn’t I? It was when we first met, at a wedding just like this. And here we are again, only this time it’s ours,” he said, smiling ear-to-ear, eyes lit up with happiness.

She sighed happily, leaning into his touch. They stood there a few moments, both of them content in each other’s arms, when a thought suddenly occurred to her.

“Hey, Barry,” she said, fighting back a laugh, “you know that that technically wasn’t the first time we met, right?”

“What do you m— _oh_.” She watched his forehead crease in confusion, and then as the realization crept into his eyes, along with the horror. “Oh my God, Iris, you promised we would never speak of that again. _That doesn’t count_ , okay?”

“Whatever you say,” she said with a shrug, grinning wickedly at him. “Although, you did lie about it being a one-time thing, you know. You’ve definitely proven that over these past few years.”

“That’s—that’s different, Iris! That’s just between the two of us.”

“Okay, well, what do say about doing some of that totally-not-the-same-thing for me tonight, for our first night together as a married couple? Pleaaase?” She stuck out her lower lip and made her best puppy-dog eyes at him, the ones she knew he could never resist.

He groaned and shook his head at her, but he was still grinning all the same.

“ _Fine_ , okay,” he sighed, tilting her chin up and leaning down to kiss her.

“Anything for you.”

 

 

 


End file.
